Facebook users seek cruise vacation for 10-year-old girl with cancer

Every day, the Daily Dot finds something that people on Facebook are sharing and, in turn, shares it with you—with a little explanation. Here's today's share.

Thousands of Facebook users agree: A cruise company that bases its call center in Kansas should honor a cancer-stricken local girl’s wishes, and give her and her family a vacation to remember.

But that company, Royal Caribbean Cruises, still isn’t lending an ear.

Alyssa Wilson, 10, from near Wichita, has been fighting cancer since she was diagnosed in April 2011. According to a Facebook post by family friend Phil Carselowey, she’s “losing her battle.” On Tuesday, Carselowey wrote in his now-famous status update:

[Alyssa] has a wish of getting to experience a cruise vacation with her family during her precious time here on Earth. Due to all of the high medical bills it’s impossible for her family to afford a vacation like this to fulfill the girl’s last wish. Royal Caribbean International is officed in Wichita, KS so who better to help this girl fulfill her dreams of going on a cruise?

The post went wild on Facebook; it’s gathered more than 150,000 likes and that number’s still climbing. The nearly 5,000 comments are mostly sympathetic. “i am praying that she gets her wish cancer is such a terrible thing surley royal caribean has a heart,” wrote Connie Roberts.

That social media outpouring hasn’t prompted a response from anyone at Royal Caribbean, despite Carselowey’s efforts, he said.

He told the Daily Dot on Monday that he and his mother has “received a run-around” from the cruise line.

“The Facebook post is at 155,000 likes, 3,000 comments, and they haven’t addressed it in any way at all,” he said. “I have privately messaged them, my mom has tried calling, and we haven’t heard anything.”

Royal Caribbean didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from the Daily Dot.

“We don’t expect them to do this, but would like to give them the chance first since they have an office out of Wichita,” Carselowey said. “We wish they would at least address the issue so we can move onto other cruise lines or know that they are at least looking into it and aware of the situation.”